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交心 (jiāo xīn) — to open one's heart, to confide in someone

Definition

交心 (jiāo xīn) is a separable verb meaning to confide in someone — to share genuine feelings, not small talk. Split it as 交…心, with the object between the two characters (跟他交过心).

verb
to open one's heartto confide in someone

Examples

  • ，交心。
    Wǒ men liǎ shì hǎo péng you, jīng cháng zài yì qǐ jiāo xīn.
    We two are good friends and often confide in each other.
  • ，。
    Tā gēn wǒ jiāo guò yí cì xīn, shuō le hěn duō xīn lǐ huà.
    He once opened his heart to me and said a lot of true feelings.
  • 交心。
    Zhǐ yǒu zhēn zhèng de péng you cái zhí dé nǐ jiāo xīn.
    Only true friends are worth your confiding in them.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

交jiāoopen/exchange
心xīnheart

'交' open/exchange and '心' heart combine to mean confiding one's feelings.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →
Appears in
Communication & SpeechEmotions & Feelings

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